(3) PS Illustrated by Doris Barrette. The familiar old woman who lives in a shoe guides all of her children through colorful, topsy-turvy double-page spreads, trying to restore peace after a gust of wind sets off a chaotic sequence of events involving characters and items from one popular nursery rhyme after another. The playful verse, skillfully interwoven tales, and mayhem-packed story line make this a delightful read-aloud choice.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning. When her mom enrolls her in a summer cooking class, Evie is determined to impress her celebrity chef father and his new wife with a delicious home-cooked meal. Issues of divorce and stepfamilies, along with budding unexpected friendships, are sensitively explored. Occasional spot illustrations decorate the pages, and each chapter concludes with one of Evie's favorite recipes.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Keith Graves. In this cumulative tale, farmer Desert Rose asks a host of obstinate creatures--and one contrary cowpoke--to help bring her stubborn pig to the state fair. The text's alliterative, Texas-style exclamations ("bite my boots," "pickle my pistols") demand to be read aloud. Acrylic illustrations show drowsy-eyed animals not at all inclined to lend a hand.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Janet Pedersen. Thea's science project gets out of hand when the seed she plants grows and grows. Through a series of letters to various experts, Thea describes the plant and the odd objects (e.g., a golden egg, a singing harp) that appear. Loosely drawn illustrations keep the action moving and let fairy-tale-savvy readers in on the joke.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) 4-6 It's 1939, and Frostfree, Florida, is suffering from the worst drought in recent history. Pidge worries about her father's orange groves but also yearns for friendship and tries to learn more about her mother's death. The novel's strong setting and voice allows Pidge to come across as a sympathetic, awkward adolescent struggling to find comfort from both family and society.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Karla Firehammer. The old woman who lives in a shoe takes her large family to a succession of other dwellings, such as a jar in Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, and Little Miss Muffet's teacup. Each new place proves uninhabitable, so they return to make do with their shoe. The nursery rhyme characters add interest to this silly rhyming story, and the family's movement across the illustrations encourages page turning.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert